Not about me, says Ponting of farewell

Chris Wilson and Lee Gaskin

Fans will be hoping the rain clears so Ricky Ponting can shine. Photo: Colleen Petch

Canberra cricket lovers will be keeping one eye to the heavens today in the hope rain doesn't ruin the Prime Minister's XI match at Manuka Oval for the second year in a row.

It will be especially disappointing if the match with the West Indies is abandoned because it is to be former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting's farewell to international cricket and the first day-night match in Manuka Oval's history.

The forecast will give Cricket ACT hope after last year's match with Sri Lanka was abandoned due to rain without a ball being bowled. That cost the organisation upwards of $100,000, however this time around it has invested in rain insurance to cover itself financially.

Manuka Oval curator Brad Van Dam said the ground had coped well with the wet conditions of the past 48 hours and expected an ideal pitch for one-day cricket.

''I think we will see lots of runs,'' he said on Monday.

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Many a local cricket tragic will be hoping those runs come from PM's XI skipper Ponting, but the 38-year-old is adamant his international swansong won't be the focus of the match.

''First and foremost, it will be about doing what we have to do to win the game and putting the personal side of things behind us, just worrying about what the team needs,'' Ponting said.

''It's not about me and it's not about the one or two individuals that might have higher honours in their mind, it's about all of us playing as well as we can to try and win. If you put the team first, and get that done, some pretty special things can be achieved.

''I'm a pretty competitive person and, being captain of this side, it won't just be about going out there and having fun, we'll be trying to win the game and represent the Prime Minister and country as well as we can.''

It has been 20 years since Ponting played his first and only Prime Minister's XI match, in 1993. He was 18 and it was two years before he made his Test debut.

It was the start of a great generation for Australian cricket, Ponting battling at No.3 that day behind an opening pair that would become one of this country's greatest - Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden.

Ponting went on to play an equal Australian-record 168 Tests, for a record 13,378 runs.

''For a young guy to be playing against an international side was a great thrill,'' Ponting recalled of the

four-run victory over South Africa. ''With this squad we've got a few guys that haven't tasted international cricket before. Look through the history books, lots of great Australian PM's teams have been put out on the park, I expect this team to be competitive against the West Indies.''

There are other reasons to celebrate this match. The return of West Indies blaster Chris Gayle, who blitzed 146 from just 89 balls in his last visit here in 2010. There is Brad Haddin's return to his roots, desperate to play alongside good mate Ponting.

Ponting feels he has already said goodbye. As he walked off the WACA Ground in December, he raised both arms to all parts of the ground. There is no longer sentiment in the games he plays, he considers them more a celebration.

''My last Test was emotionally the hardest Test I ever played,'' Ponting said. ''I was so nervous about wanting to do well in my last game, it was a big game to try and win the series [against South Africa] and to get back to No.1 in the world.

''The last game was really nice, but I think I was probably more embarrassed, if you like, about some of the stuff that happened afterwards. It seems every few days something else was happening, the parade in Hobart was great, and it was nice to have that send-off but it was a little bit embarrassing as well.''

1500 general admission tickets are available at the gate. The match begins at 2.20pm. Free buses from City and Woden every half hour 12pm-2pm.